Planned Parenthood only requires patient consent for the services, but the World Professional Association for Transgender Health recommends patients first be examined by a mental health professional before undergoing such medical regimens.

Peter Sprigg, a senior fellow for policy studies at the Family Research Council, told the network that treatment not supervised by a mental health professional could lead to a backlash from patients who later "recognize this was not in their best interest."

Typically, the estrogen or testosterone drugs can cost patients $1,500 per year, and the HRT process can take as long as three years.

Sprigg said that Planned Parenthood's mission is to help patients manage fertility, and that when it comes to the new service there is "not necessarily a logical connection" to that mission.

"But this illustrates how Planned Parenthood, rather than providing specific services, is kind of the central clearinghouse for the sexual revolution in all respects. And that’s come to include having sex without the consequence of pregnancy and also the freedom to change one’s sex if you choose," he told Fox News.

Some opponents have expressed concerns about possible side effects of HRT, including increased risk of cancer, and noted high suicide rates among transgender individuals.

In January, Slate reported that the number of Planned Parenthood centers offering testosterone or estrogen therapy to transgender patients was growing.

"Last year, a new health center offering transgender services opened in North Carolina—and this weekend, a colleague of mine at a conference met a transgender woman from Tennessee who shared the huge difference it’s making in the lives of transgender people in the region. She said it was the only place within a 3-hour drive that would provide HRT, and she was so grateful to have that access. Those are the kinds of patients we have to reach," Eric Ferrero, Planned Parenthood’s vice president of communications, told Slate in an email.
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